New type of plantation
Unusual advice. A fundamentally new type of fruit garden is proposed, which aims to optimize the crown architecture and to achieve rational distribution of assimilation products due to the relatively small amount of wood that makes up the frame of the tree. This is achieved by the system of formation and cultivation of fruit crops, called "Modified Lepage".The garden on this system is created on conventional varieties and on traditional stocks by planting annual saplings( or growing them on a permanent place) with the placement of 3.0 x 1.0 m( aisles - 3.0 m, plants from each other in a row at a distance1.0 m).
Beginning in the first year, each autumn, one of the strongest one-year shoots in the tree should be moved to a horizontal position, and in spring, in the place of a growing new shoot, a ring of wire( or twine) should be applied.to do reception of "ringing".The next year, the strongest formed on the stem( at the point of folding last year's branch), the shoot is again tilted in the opposite direction. Due to the biological law of the accelerated laying of flowering buds on a horizontally sprouted shoot and its enhanced nutrition due to ringing, the 3-year-old branches of the tree formed in this way begin to bear fruit.
Formation of trees according to the "Modified Lepage" system, 1st year
Formation of trees according to the "Modified Lepage" system, 2nd year
. In subsequent years this operation is repeated, i.e.form a tree of the type "Lepage".However, unlike it, it is necessary to remove 3-year-old branches every year( combining this with harvesting or after harvesting fruits: late autumn, early spring next year).
Thus, unlike other formations, a tree formed according to the Modified Lepage system can distinguish three functional zones:
1. Growth zone - 1-year-old vertically growing shoots.
2. Fertilization preparation zone - 2-year horizontally located branches.
3. Fruiting zone - 3-year branches, annually removed.
Therefore, the tree will consist of a long-term stem gradually and slowly rising in height and branches of 3, 2 and 1 years of age, located in different functional areas. The zone of 1-year-old shoots ensures the growth of the tree in height and creates the basic assimilation apparatus of the leaves, preparation for fruit bearing takes place in the zone of 2-year-old shoots, and fruit is formed on 3-year-old shoots.
Formation of trees according to the Modified Lepage system, 3rd year
The new formation provides a high yield of fruits of excellent quality due to the creation of a dense planting and better lighting conditions, as well as the lack of a large mass of long-term( "parasitic") wood and stunted trees.
In this case, the ratio of vegetative and reproductive parts of the tree remains approximately the same throughout the life( with a slight increase in long-term wood due to the growth of the main trunk).This may indicate the stability of the load by harvest and, consequently, the absence of periodicity of fruiting.
The benefits of the system include the simplicity of trimming a tree: you need to know one rule - cut out 3-year-old branches every year and pinch shoots on 2-year branches. In addition, if, when translating a 1-year-old shoot into a horizontal position, a branch is bent, then instead of trimming, it is possible to do away with the breaking off of the shoot. In addition, trees with this formation are much slower to reach a height of 2-2.5 m, and therefore it is easier to care for them. And none of the formations like this can protect flowers from spring frosts, since it is possible to cover such low trees with a film, a special cloth, etc.